Mello
by neoclemie
Summary: From start to finish, this is a fanfiction telling the life story of Mello, his friends and his foes included. *Goes with the plot of DN *Will contain yaoi in latter chapters *Rating may go up
1. Chapter 1

Decided to write a big fanfiction novel : D  
That's right, it's all about Mello.

Anyhow, sorry this chapter was so short. 3 There is to be more in the next one.

**Disclaimer: No. I do not own Mello, or Wammy's House. Ack D: But I wish I did **

.....

**Mello – Chapter 1**

**Dream**

The small misty town in which the woman and her small son lived in was more than a little depressing. It lied barely 2 miles inland away from the shore of the ocean, that seemed to make the town shrouded hopelessly in fog almost every day of the year.

The woman and her son lived in a small shack, just on the edge of the town. It had one room and a worn outhouse out back. There was a small wooden stove near one of the far back corners of the shack. With an old oak table and two wooden chairs across from it. There was a double mattress on the floor in the opposite corner from the stove. There were but two old pillows atop it and a purple quilt. Right next to the mattress on the floor was a cardboard box, atop it a lamp, which gave off a very dim light, made it possible to see in the shack. Next to the cardboard box sat a very old-looking teddy bear, it had only one ear and it's arm was falling off, but stayed to be the only toy the young boy possessed.

A little while away, on the dusty path from town to the shack, the woman held her parka tightly around her too thin shoulders and pushed, walking with effort, against the strong winds, her hand grasping a smaller one with an immensely tight grip. Her long blond locks flew, untamable in the wind, her form was slightly hunched, as to better prevent herself from flying away with the wind herself. Her shack was about a mile away from the center of the town, a mile's walk in this weather. It could be worse. A silver crucifix was dangling from her neck and was easily the most valuable thing she owned. Silently, she prayed for a safe walk home for her and her child. This said child was slowly falling behind, the winds too strong for his small, thin stature to endure. The woman tugged her child along, he didn't protest and kept along with the fastest pace he could, clutching a fresh, warm loaf of bread to his chest with his free arm.

"Mihael," the woman said against the howling of the wind, her son's blond head looked up. He squinted as to prevent getting the dust that was being blown around into his eyes.

"Yes Mama?" he asked, almost tripping over a stray rock in the road. Despite the cold, windy day, the boy's eyes were bright, hopeful and as shockingly blue as the sea. Despite the fact that his clothes were old and worn, and barely protected him from the icy winds, a small smile rested on his pale lips.

"Make sure you don't drop the loaf Mihael," she said, her hair being blown around even more violently as the winds picked up. The boy nodded and wrapped his little fingers more tightly around the loaf, that was covered only by the brown paper wrappings.

When the woman and her son finally reached the small shack, the sun was at it's highest point in the sky; noon. Mihael ran ahead of his mother into the house and placed the loaf down upon the wooden table and began filling the old wooden oven with firewood, as to keep the place warm. It was a chilly day indeed. Mihael was only 4, but he knew how to work the oven properly, as to not burn the place down. Quickly, he put the kettle on and rushed back to his mother, helping her to the old tattered couch that lay a couple of steps away from the mattress. He helped get his mother comfortable, taking the quilt from off the mattress and wrapping it around her shoulders, turned the radio on, and fetched her her knitting basket. She smiled her nice, motherly smile as he did these tasks, and to Mihael, it seemed to make the place a little warmer. Mihael jumped, startled, when the kettle began to whistle, and ran to it as quickly as he could, making the tea quickly, so that the water would stay warm. He walked back to his mother with more careful strides, making sure that none of the tea spilt to the floor. When she was settled, with her knitting and her tea, Mihael went outside to catch butterflies, since they seemed to gather around the grass space around the shack.

It was around several hours later when the loud, furious knocking began on the wooden door of the shack. The woman looked up with a start, her fragile heart beating at a more rapid pulse. Mihael was still playing outside. That was a relief, it was best when he wasn't home for times like these. Swallowing, and tying her parka closely around her neck, she went to the door. The knocking, well, banging, louder than before. She opened it slowly, only to see the big, blonde man she always saw. He was about half a foot higher than she was, and very muscular, he had cropped blonde hair and beady, piercing blue eyes. He wore his work clothes, but there was an empty bottle of beer in his hand. The woman opened the door fully and tried to help him get to the couch, he slapped her away.

"I can do things myself woman!" he nearly shouted, although the words slurred together as if his voice were gurgled. The woman blinked hard at the slap and the shout, and went quickly to the stove, taking the pot of freshly made soup off the top. She put the pot on the table next to two bowls and spoons.

"Mihael's already eaten," she explained, although she highly doubted he would care. She was right, and he simply staggered down into the chair, eyeing the soup, as if examining it's contents. He didn't even have to ask.

"Chicken... soup," the woman said slowly, taking the seat across from her husband. He frowned and got up again, stumbling like a blind man to the fridge. He grimaced, furious instantly upon opening it.

"No beer?!" he demanded. The woman shrunk in her seat a little and didn't get the chance to answer, for the man picked up his bowl of soup and threw it at the wall, the bowl shattered and the thick yellow soup dripped slowly down the wall like paint against the white. Obviously her husband had had a few too many drinks tonight already, violence seemed to happen more often now, that work was getting harder for him. It was becoming more and more difficult for the woman to be able to see the man she married under the rough skin and piercing eyes. Mihael chose that one moment to run happily into the shack, a blue and green butterfly nestled in his cupped hands.

"Mama look what I-" Mihael stopped dead in his tracks, looking up, somewhat terrified at the scene before him. His father had thrown the second bowl of soup, just missing his mother's head, and was now stomping about the shack, trashing it violently, throwing about pieces of furniture. He watched as his mother gripped the crucifix tightly in her palm, whispering words he couldn't hear to God. Mihael winced as he heard a crash to the right of him and looked up at his father, who had now approached him.

"M-Mihael," he slurred, glaring down at his son's hands furiously.

"You brought a bug into the house?!" He shouted, the loudness of it making Mihael jump. And then his hand came down, hard, and amazingly fast.

* * *

The boy woke with a start and a gasp. He shot up into a sitting position in his bed. It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room he was in. Once they did, he thankfully remembered where he was, and with a sigh, wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. His chest lifted up and down heavily with his slow breaths.

His hands were shaking, and he frowned at them. He pulled the comfortable covers off himself, and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He stood up, walking around the room, his room. He gazed sleepily out the window, still dark, the moon was bright and yellow. He stared out at it for a few seconds, trying to recover from his dream. He'd been having dreams about his past almost every day since he'd arrived at this orphanage. It was his third one. The others had kicked him out for various reasons; extreme rudeness towards the other children; beating kids up and such, refusal to every person who offered to take him to a new home and rudeness towards the teachers and headmasters. Here however, they seemed to value his intelligence far too much to kick him out. From what he had heard, this was a special orphanage, for gifted children, established for them to one day become 'the world's greatest detective', to take on the title of the one called L. He considered himself very smart indeed, but it was nothing to really boast about, not that he was modest, no, just, there were so many other things he could be proud of himself for, his ability to win at everything he did for one, his being fluent in 3 different languages, his ability to be great at everything he attempted, those were things to boast about. But here, his intelligence was what mattered, he needed to keep up his marks, if he wanted to stay number one here, it was a good way to pass the time, a good goal in life.

It was demanded that he have an alias as well, so he chose Mello. He chose this name because it was what his mother had called him when he was a baby, a play on his name; Mihael. Although, he could never tell anyone his real name. He didn't know why though, couldn't imagine the threat of telling someone your true name. He didn't really care though, considering he had no one to tell it to. One thing Mello wasn't good at was keeping friends. Sure, he could make them easily, but being able not to scare them off was the hard part.

Mello was considerably a violent child, he attacked anyone who dared offend him, and this caused most of the children at Wammy's House to fear him, and be his friend only out of fear. It didn't matter to him though, what did he need real friends for? He had these ones to play with, he didn't need anything more.

When Mello had finally become too sleepy to stand any longer, he drifted himself back to his bed, dream long forgotten, he fell into another deep sleep.

....


	2. Chapter 2

**Yayy Chapter 2. It's all about Nia 3 :3  
I decided to start them out as friends before Mello starts being a bitch about beating him and finds Matt.  
Anyhow 3 Hope you enjoyed it my loves.**

**Disclaimer: Do not own. Do not Claim. Do not sue betches D8**  


**...........**

**Mello – Chapter 2**

**Near.**

The sunlight pouring in through the cracks in between the curtains was what woke Mello up the next morning. He eventually felt the soft sunlight heat against his skin and eyelids and thus opened them. He squinted as the light blinded him for a short second, and threw his arm over his forehead, letting out a low yawn as the sunlight shifted around on his form as he moved. He rubbed at his eyes and sat up, rubbing at them more violently when everything was still blurry.

He yawned again and got out of bed, squinting at the clock hung up on one wall of his room; 8:30. Half an hour til breakfast. Mello scratched at his head and walked lazily to his bathroom. He stripped down and stepped into the shower. The warm water truly felt fantastic, and Mello considered it a luxury, he could only remember ice cold baths back when his mother was alive. He stayed in the shower for a long time, enjoying the warm water run over his body, he washed his hair with extra care, as to fully enjoy the shower. He had never used shampoo or conditioner when he lived with his mother, in fact, he didn't even know what they were. But he quickly realized what they were for and what a privilege it was to have them, after all, they made his hair shiny and smooth, and made it smell nice.

When Mello had finished his shower and dried himself off, he was pleased to discover it was already time for breakfast. He slung his new bookbag over his shoulder, locked the door to his room and treaded to the Dinning Hall, perfectly pleased with his morning.

When he arrived, he was even more delighted to find that they were having chocolate pudding. Chocolate had become his new favorite thing since the first moment he had tried it. It was absolutely the best thing he had ever tasted. He soon became addicted, and managed to eat at least two chocolate bars a day. Surprisingly though, he never seemed to gain any weight from it.

He grabbed himself a large portion of pudding and headed off to an empty table, on his way there, however, there was a small group of older kids mumbling about something at a fairly far away table from everyone else. Curious, Mello quietly slipped close enough to hear what they were saying.

"I know! I can't believe it! The kid's 3 years younger than me and he's in my class, beating me in every subject!" one kid he recognized said. Mello beamed, they _had_ to be talking about him, indeed he was placed in the more advanced classes, with older students, _that_ student as well, and he beat even them in every test he did. He managed to slip a little closer, determined to hear what else they had to say.

"-and he's only been here for what..? Two days now? Next to that Mello kid, he's probably the smartest one here," at this, Mello frowned. Two days? Next to that 'Mello kid'? They couldn't be talking about him, but then.. who were they talking about? No one his age had ever come close to his standings at Wammy's. Impossible. No one could ever beat Mello. He snuck even closer to the group.

"What's up with that hair too?" Mello subconsciously combed his fingers through his hair, before realizing they weren't talking about him, "What a colour! So bright white like that? I wonder if he dyed it..." the kid added. Mello frowned. A boy his age with white hair had been coming close to beating him and he hadn't even noticed? Well, it was certainly time to start paying more attention in class then.

"Well of course it's dyed!" the older kid's voices died away as Mello took a seat at an empty table, his mood somewhat recked. Smarter than him? No way. He was the top kid at Wammy's and he was the next L, nobody was going to change that. Angrily, he dug a spoon into his pudding and shoved it into his mouth. The chocolate made him feel a little better, but he knew it wouldn't last. The only thing to do was to find this boy, and make sure that he wasn't a threat.

When he was done his pudding, he dropped his dish on the counter and followed the boy that had been talking about the new kid. Mello was sure that he was in his class. Sure enough, he was, and Mello followed him into his math class. He took his usual seat in the far end by the window, and racked his memory to recall a boy with white hair being let into the class yesterday. Oh wait, no of course he wouldn't remember that! Yesterday had been his birthday, and thus he had gotten a day off from classes. Of course. It was also the day he got his first ever present. It was a neatly wrapped up book, brand new; Oliver Twist, it was called, from L himself. Mello had been so pleased, he was determined to make it last and vowed to read only one chapter a day, no matter how interesting it got.

Losing himself in his thoughts, Mello almost didn't realize the boy with the white hair come in, but his head jerked up when he noticed the flash of white and he shook his memories away. The boy was clad in bright white pyjama's, the same colour as his hair. Eerily, Mello thought; _You could at least bother to get dressed in the morning_, as the boy slipped into the seat next to him, twirling his hair with his finger.

There was a bright red plastic robot tucked under his arm and he began to wind it up as soon as he sat down. His face was empty of expression. Mello sneered, but then quickly turned it into a smile as the boy's blank eyes moved over him, obviously calculating that he wasn't here yesterday. Mello put out his hand in the most friendly way he could manage.

"Hi.. I'm Mello," he said with a smile. The boy simply stared at his hand for a second before returning his gaze up to Mello's face.

"Near." he said simply. Mello frowned a little, and nodded, pulling his hand away. _Near.._ _what a stupid alias..._he thought as the boy returned to winding up his robot.

"You're new here..?" Mello asked, trying to strike up conversation. Near nodded, twirling his finger in his hair. He looked up at Mello again.

"Are you?" he asked. Mello shook his head.

"It was my birthday yesterday, I got to skip classes," he explained. Near nodded at him.

"Happy Birthday then.." he said blankly, his face still void of expression. Mello felt a little offended that he couldn't even manage a smile for that. Mello waited a bit, but the class didn't start, so he turned to the boy again.

"So.. where you from?" he asked, not bothering to try to smile anymore, but managed a curious expression.

"America." the boy stated, looking bored. He didn't bother asking where Mello was from, but Mello decided to tell him anyway.

"I'm from Germany," he said almost proudly. Near looked him up and down, and seemed satisfied with his appearance. Mello cocked an eyebrow, but Near didn't seem to notice.

"My parents died four years ago.. I was sent to various orphanages before I was sent to this one, I've been here for about half a year.." he explained, it didn't seem as if the boy sitting next to him really cared, but he somehow knew he was listening. Near looked over at him again.

"My parents died just awhile after I was born.. I stayed in the custody of my aunt and uncle, before they died as well and I was sent here when they found me writing calculations on the wall of my house, trying to figure out how exactly they died." Near explained blankly. He didn't seem to care at all that he was somewhat explaining his life story to a stranger, and he didn't seem sad about it either.

_How... Morbid..._Mello thought distantly. A little smile appeared on his lips. _Maybe I could get along with this kid then_, he thought. Near continued twirling his hair and blinked at the smile on Mello's lips, but didn't say anything about it. They both turned to face the class when it started. However, Mello was somewhat disappointed to find that the boy wasn't paying attention to the class at all, and was simply winding up his robot and letting it walk around on the desk before winding it up again.

Mello wrote down everything on the board before settling comfortably in his chair while the older kids started to ask useless questions. He leaned over to Near, who hadn't even bothered to write anything down, only glanced at the board once, before going back to his robot.

"This is pretty easy huh?" he asked in a whisper. Near turned to him quickly, seeming a little startled that he wasn't working either, however his expression didn't show anything of it. He nodded shortly. Mello didn't give him the chance to turn back to his robot.

"Do you know why you're here?" he asked, staring down at his blank notebook. Near looked up at him, his eyes blank. He nodded.

"To one day success the one known as L." he stated, as if completely sure of himself. Mello leaned back into his chair and nodded.

"Do you think you'll be the one to success him?" he asked, his expression becoming a little heated. Near shrugged.

"It depends on whether anyone can beat me to it," he said, Mello was surprised to see the corners of his mouth twitch slightly, a little tiny smirk appearing on the boy's pale lips. Mello smirked in return.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked. Near looked at him, the tiny, barely visible smirk still on his lips.

"If you want it to be." he said, then turned back to his robot and continued playing with it. They stayed silent until the class was over. When it was, Mello followed Near out of the class.

"What class do you have next?" he asked, curious. Near looked over at him, and pulled out his schedule, he read all the classes over, then crumpled it up. Mello was shocked.

"English," he said, throwing the schedule into the nearest trash bin. "Then Science, then it's lunch, then History. Tommorow I have-"

"Okay I get it... but.. don't you think you'll need that schedule?" Mello asked, looking back at the trash bin. Near shook his head.

"I have a pretty good memory," he explained. Mello sneered at his confidence and followed him to English, surprised that he seemed to have every class with him today. They sat next to each other once more. Mello watched as he began to play with his robot again.

"Doesn't playing with that over and over get a little boring?" he asked. Near simply shrugged, and didn't answer. Mello sighed a little, and yawned. This class was by far the most boring, Mello had learned English very quickly as soon as he was taken out of Germany. He now had a pretty expanded vocabulary. His accent had long disappeared.

Officially dead bored, Mello took out his Math homework and finished it. Bored again once he was done, Mello pulled out his copy of Oliver Twist and began reading today's chapter. Oliver asked for more. He shouldn't have done that. But Mello sided with his logic. Obviously they were underfed, it only made sense. Mello became attached to Oliver's bravery instantly. He was totally intrigued with the story when the teacher asked him a question. He stuttered, not even sure what the question was.

"Well?" The teacher demanded, knowing that Mello was one of her best students. Near smiled a little and leaned a little closer to Mello, but just a little so that the teacher didn't notice.

"Midsummer Night's Dream.." he whispered, only loud enough for Mello to him. Mello blinked hard.

"Midsummer Night's Dream.." he repeated, too shocked to do anything else. The teacher beamed and nodded.

"Correct," as soon as she turned back to the blackboard Mello jerked his head towards Near.

"Why'd you do that?" he asked, still shocked. First of all, Near was paying as little attention as he was and still managed to know the answer to the question and second of all, he had helped _him_. Near shrugged. Mello sneered.

"Well.. you didn't have to... I could have figured it out on my own." Near simply nodded. Mello turned back to his book.

"Thanks though.." he muttered. Near smiled a small smile, and only Mello could distinguish it.

"No problem.." he muttered back.


	3. Chapter 3

**YAY chapter 3 : D  
This one made me a little sad to write .3. But I hope you enjoyed it 3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mello or Near, not even one little hair on their heads :**  


**....**

**Mello – Chapter 3**

**Friends. **

...

Mello followed Near to Science after English. At least this class wasn't bound to be as boring as the previous. They were doing a lab. Examining various substances and finding their density and acidity. Mello was pretty excited, he would finally have a lab partner who he could get along with.

Mello sped off to where the lab coats were hanging and quickly picked up two and two pairs of goggles. He handed a coat and a pair of goggles to Near and they made their way to empty station. Only to be bombarded with students all wanting to be their partners. Mello felt pretty proud at this, they were the smartest kids in the class. He had finally found a companion who was as equally smart as he. He didn't think he would ever grow to dislike this.

After refusing several students the class began, and Mello and Near started their lab. They started with the thickest substance, that had an odd yellowish tinge. Mello quickly figured out that it was indeed a base while Near calculated the density. Mello was surprised to find that Near didn't need a calculator and simply wrote down his answer, which Mello quickly double checked in his mind, only to find the same answer. Another person who didn't need a calculator. Interesting.

They speedily finished their lab before everyone in the class and handed their results to the teacher, who told them to keep it, as they would be writing a lab report together as homework. Mello beamed but then quickly hid it. He was actually happy that he got to spend even more time with his new friend. New friend.. he liked the way that sounded.

They spent the rest of the class deciding how to start off their lab report. Mello quickly found that they barely had any disagreements. Except when Near corrected him once, making Mello turn a deep red. No one had _ever_ corrected him before. He got a little angry at this, but soon forgave him, he didn't want to lose his friend that quickly, plus, they were still equal... so far.

At lunch, Mello led Near to the Dinning Hall, explaining that he was only testing Near when he had made that mistake, and that Near had passed. Near responded with a nod and simply followed Mello.

When they arrived, Mello picked up a chocolate bar from the desert table and waited for Near to pick up an apple and follow him to an empty table. They sat next to each other, Mello munching noisily on his chocolate bar and Near nibbling quietly on his apple. Mello looked up at him and his apple.

"That's all you're eating?" he asked, tilting his head. Near gazed over Mello's chocolate bar and nodded.

"I should be asking you the same question.." he stated simply, gesturing to the chocolate bar with his eyes. Mello looked down at it for a second before grinning slightly.

"I never got to taste a chocolate bar when I was a kid," he explained, "so when I finally tasted one here, I soon discovered how amazingly delicious they are... and have been eating only chocolate ever since," he finished, biting off more of his chocolate. Near tilted his head slightly.

"Isn't that a little unhealthy?" he asked. Mello shrugged and swallowed a piece of chocolate. He showed Near his teeth, which were perfectly white.

"Doesn't seem to be harming these," he said, sitting up and lifting his shirt up over his flat belly. "or this," he added. Near shrugged and went back to eating his apple, his toy robot snug under his arm.

"So where's your room?" Mello asked once they were both done eating. Near got up from the table and began walking out of the Dinning Hall. Mello followed. They walked to an area in the house that Mello had never been too. Near led him into a white room. Almost everything was white, except for the millions of toys scattered about the floor, there was a huge dice tower in the center of the room, as well as several others made of playing cards.

"Wow.." Mello said, "You're room is really different from mine," he looked over at the towers, "Quite the architect hmm?" he asked, walking over to examine them. Near said nothing and continued twirling his finger in his hair. When Mello was done he grabbed Near's hand, officially startling Near enough for his expression to falter and his eyes to widen.

"Come on! I'll show you my room!" he said and began pulling him down the halls. It was obvious that Near was not the runner and Mello had to slow down for him considering he had tripped several times over the hems of his pyjama pants. Walking together hand in hand down the halls, they seemed to clash greatly, white against black and yellow. People seemed to stare, but Mello and Near ignored them. Near's attention was fully on their hands, Mello's on getting Near to his room. When they got there Mello quickly let go of Near's hand and unlocked the door.

"Well.. it's a little messy," he explained as he opened the door. There were books and papers scattered carelessly over the desk and the floor. His bed was unmade, his curtains flown open, pencil shavings lay about the floor. It was indeed, _very_ messy.

Near nodded and stepped inside, letting his eyes sweep across everything, then stepped out again.

"It's different," he agreed and began walking towards the next class. Mello locked the door and quickly followed.

......

Over the next week, Mello stuck to Near like glue. They became closer, Near began to talk a little more and let Mello help him build towers. Mello in turn read him some of Oliver Twist and took him to the library to get a copy for himself. Mello learned several things about Near, he was two years younger than him, which frustrated Mello a little, considering Near seemed to get one mark better whenever they had a test. Mello had just turned 8, and Near was still 6. It didn't make much sense how he could be so smart.

Unfortunately, Mello found himself no longer in the top place at Wammy's, but now second. Second to his one and only companion. This made him unbearably jealous. Of course he would never admit that. Not even in his mind. He secretly studied harder than he ever had. All to beat his friend. He _needed_ to be better, or equal at least. He feared he might hurt his friend if he didn't.

Every time Near would correct him in that blank voice of his, Mello ruefully found himself longing to rip that white head off. Of course he quickly shook the thought away. Not to his friend. But he always wondered, he didn't have to be his friend, he could leave him in the isolation he so wanted and deserved. He was looking to be more and more of a dislikable person as he continued to be better at everything.

Mello started taking greater interest in his sports, which he knew that Near would never be able to beat him in. Although he knew that L did not need athletic children to succeed him, he would still hide a smirk as Near watched him beat his peers in every sport.

After awhile he slowly realized that sports were no longer interesting to him. He found himself longing more to beat Near and they slowly started to drift apart. When they did spend time together, they no longer talked as they used to, Mello would do his homework or study, and Near would simply play with his toys. He became even more annoyed when they did this, considering Near didn't need to study to do perfect on a test. And even when Mello did perfect, Near would exceed perfect in some impossible way. It made Mello more violent towards his friend, made him so angry that he wanted to tear his hair out.

After Near's first two weeks at Wammy's and Mello's dislike growing stronger, Near finally decided to confront him, obviously noticing his distress.

They were in the library, Near was curled up in one of the leather armchairs holding a rather old copy of Great Expectations, and Mello was sitting on the couch, looming over his textbook and taking various notes on things that he feared he might not remember. Near had been noticing his ever changing behavior, the way he started to snap off pieces of his chocolate more violently, the way his eyes glistened with an unreadable expression whenever they got their tests back only to be replaced by a frown when he looked over at Near's and crumpled up his own, the way he now snapped at Near whenever he interrupted his studying, which seemed to be the only thing he'd do now. It wasn't that Near was worried as so much concerned for his friend's well being that he walked over to Mello on the couch that day.

He put down his copy of Great Expectations and wandered over and sat down next to Mello on the couch. Mello didn't seem to notice. Blankly, Near crawled a little closer.

"Mello." He said, it didn't seem to gain the blonde's attention. So he tried again; "Mello?" he said a little louder. Mello sighed, and gestured at him to speak, but Near waited until he eventually closed the book and turned to Near with a heated expression.

"_What_?" he demanded, tapping his fingers on the hard cover of his text book. Near shrunk in his seat a little, but leaned a little closer to Mello, as to express his concern a little.

"Is there something bothering you Mello?" he asked tentatively, although his voice was still perfectly monotone. Mello blinked at him, seemingly surprised that he had asked but shook his head.

"No," he said and began turning back to his textbook.

"Don't.. lie to me," Near said quietly and Mello's head jerked back around, his expression varying in between surprise, curiosity, anger and frustration. He threw his hands up, only to bring them back down immediately afterwards.

"And how the hell should you know whether I'm lying or not!? Oh that's right. You know just about everything don't you?!" Mello almost shouted, smacking his hands back down on his textbook, Near flinched a little at the volume and ferocity of Mello's voice and looked down.

"I'm sorry..." he said quietly, "But I know there's something wrong. Else you wouldn't be acting like this.." he said, beginning to twirl a finger in his hair. Mello sighed.

"Well there isn't anything wrong. Okay?" he said, lowering his voice as to prove it. Near shrugged as Mello turned back to his textbook.

"Is it my fault?" he asked, not dropping the subject. Mello looked up again, anger gathering up in his eyes.

"No. It's not your fault." he said, trying to get him to shut up. Near looked up again.

"So there is something wrong then?" he stated more than asked. Mello quickly looked over his words and cursed at himself mentally.

"Near! Please! It doesn't matter! Everything's fine!" he said, trying to get back to his work, but Near surprisingly tugged on his sleeve and Mello flinched, yanking his arm away.

"What?!" he demanded in practically a yell. Near's expression faltered into one of somewhat sadness, but it was hard to tell, he still seemed pretty blank. Near sunk a little into his seat and pulled his arm away.

"I have a feeling I know what's going on... Mello... maybe we shouldn't spend time together anymore.." he said with a hint of sadness in his monotone. Mello looked up and put his textbook down beside him guiltily.

"Look, I'm sorry for yelling okay? You don't have to go and say things like that..." he said.

"I'm being serious Mello." Near said, absolutely blankness in his voice and expression. Mello frowned but it quickly turned into a scowl as his anger undoubtedly rose.

"Well fine then! If you don't want to be my friend then I don't want to be yours!" he said angrily, picking up his textbook again and opening it to a random page.

"I never said I didn't _want_ to be your friend Mello.. I just.. considering how your acting about our standings in the orphanage, I think it's for the best.." Near explained.

"About our standings in the orphanage?!" Mello reapeted, growing furious now. "You think I'm jealous.. of _you?!_" he demanded, throwing his textbook aside and standing up in order to express the level of his ferocity. He didn't give Near the chance to reply.

"Who would be jealous of you?! You're just a blank, empty _machine_ that plays with stupid toys all the time! There's nothing to be jealous of! At least I have emotions! At least I know how to talk to people and play sports and be _social_! You're- you're just a freak!" and Mello regretted the words the moment they all slipped from his mouth. Each word seemed to hit Near like a bullet and his expression faltered completely at the last word for the shortest second, turning into a look of complete sorrow. Near stood up, wiping the hair from his eyes, his face returning to blank and his cheeks a little pink.

"I see..." he said and began walking away. Mello held out a hand, guilt overwhelming him.

"Near!" the boy ignored him, "Near wait!" at this Near looked back and waited for a short second. But Mello couldn't find any words to say, as far as he knew, everything he had said to him had seemed to be the truth, and hate seemed to be developing at the bottom of his heart. He could say nothing. Near simply nodded at his expression and walked off. Leaving Mello alone once again.

...


	4. Chapter 4

Mello – Chapter 4

Christmas.

....

Mello and Near no longer greeted each other when they passed in the halls, rather, Mello would simply sneer at him, vowing in his mind to be better than him and regain his title as L. They no longer sat together at lunch, rather at separate empty tables, and Mello would snap off pieces of chocolate violently and imagine that it was the white boy's head. A tension grew in between them, Mello often glared at him during classes, and Near would simply ignore, still hurt from the last thing Mello had said to him. He couldn't help being smarter after all.

Christmas holidays came around, giving Mello a break from all the studying. There was a huge Christmas tree put up in the main common room of the orphanage. And chocolate pudding was served every day at every course, which pleased Mello greatly, and put him off his stress. He could for once enjoy Christmas, although he had no one to really enjoy it with.

Mello roamed around the halls during the Christmas weeks off before Christmas arrived, often very bored, he spent most of his time in the library, reading books far too advanced for his age. When Christmas eve finally came around, and the house was bustling with excitement, L was to be coming. They were all disappointed to find that he was off on a very important case. But the entire house gathered in the common room later that night, L would still visit them through the monitor. Mello stayed standing up against the wall, munching on his chocolate, as the rest of the house settled on the floor, including Near, who sat fairly far away from the rest of the children, working on a jigsaw puzzle.

When the big L appeared on the monitor, Mello found himself drawing closer with interest. Near simply looked up.

"Greetings Children," a monotone voice emitted from the speakers next to the screen. Mello blinked at it. Near's eyes stayed glued to the screen. The rest of the house burst out with a big 'Hi L!!'.

"Mello, come out from the corner please, I should like to be able to see you through the camera," the voice said. Mello jumped, and the entire house turned to look at him. Mello grudgingly did as he was told, but wouldn't look straight into the camera.

"Ah that's much better." the monotone voice emitted. The entire house waited.

"So, I assume everyone's Christmas week has been going well so far?" the voice asked. The entire house nodded, except for Mello and Near, Mello, too busy eating chocolate, Near, too busy on his jigsaw puzzle. L started asking individual students questions about how their time at Wammy's was going, most of them answered enthusiastically. When L got to Near first, Mello's hand pressed into a fist.

"Ah, Near... One of the most intelligent students here," Mello's hand relaxed when L didn't call 'number 1,' like the teachers did, "How is your Christmas going?" the voice asked.

"It's alright. It's pleasant to be in such comfortable surroundings," the white-headed boy said, staring directly into the camera and twirling his hair. Mello glared at him from across the room, his eyebrows furrowing.

"That's lovely," the voice emitted and then went along to the next child. Near stared at the camera for a few seconds longer before turning his head to look around the room, his eyes met Mello for a second, in which Mello's glare intensified, Near's lips curled into a little smile and Mello sneered as he turned back to his puzzle. Finally, L reached him.

"And last but certainly not least, how have your Christmas holidays been going?" he asked through the screen. Mello turned to gaze at the camera and gave the best half-smile he could.

"Fine," he said shortly, "How have yours been L?" he asked. The other children seemed to curse themselves mentally for not asking that, except for Near of course.

"Oh, they've been alright, I've been spending most of my time on the case I'm working on," the rest of the children knew better than to ask which case it was, "Watari has been making me more festive sweets, I do appreciate it," L added.

After awhile of L asking about classes and things at Wammy's, it turned out that he needed to go back to work. The other children bided him a sad goodbye and started to pile out of the common room. Mello however, stayed and examined the Christmas tree, trying to guess what gifts he would get tomorrow morning.

"Mello," a familiar voice said from behind him. Mello prepared his best scowl and jerked his head around.

"What?" he asked, his blonde hair swinging as he moved. Near looked up at him, his eyes blank.

"Merry Christmas," Mello blinked at him. That was not expected. His expression softened for a short second, only to be hardened instantly once more.

"Yeah, Merry Christmas to you too _Near_," he said, his scowl returning, he then turned and marched out of the common room, off to his room for a pretty much depressing Christmas Eve. He went to sleep early, mostly excited for his presents.

....

_Mihael trudged down the dirt path, holding the loaf to himself, his mother had sent him out alone today. As quickly as his short little legs could carry him, he ran home without dropping the loaf, pausing once or twice to more securely wrap his scarf around his neck. _

_He was quite excited to get home. It was Christmas Eve and usually he got a small candy that he tried to savour throughout the night. Considering he lived in such poverty, he was very glad to get anything at Christmas. He paused just outside the door, noticing his father's broken down bike parked, tied up to a pole outside the house. Mihael bit his lip, his father usually only returned late. He looked around carefully for any signs of beer bottles scattered about. He peeked in the car as he passed, and to his horror found 6 empty beer bottles in the passenger seat, that was not a good thing. _

_Biting his lip a little harder, Mihael made his way into the small shack. Inside was pitch black, and Mihael started to fear the worst at the pit of his stomach. His mother's voice rang in his voice. _

"_Mihael, if daddy ever comes home too drunk to talk to you, and tries to hurt you, run. You must run as far as you can..." _

_Mihael squinted in the darkness and began walking into the house. _

"_Mihael.." his father's voice slurred and he jumped, dropping the loaf to the floor, he hurried to pick it up, realizing a second later that the floor was wet and sticky. Mihael's eyes widened as his eyes adjusted. Blood. There was blood on the floor. _

_....._

Mello woke with a start, only to be blinded by the bright sun coming in from his window. He gasped, and clutched at his chest, but then his eyes adjusted and he let out a long sigh, realizing where he was and wiping the hair that was sticking to his forehead. He rubbed at his eyes, just a dream, but he couldn't stop his far too heavy breathing. He fell back onto the bed and let his muscles relax, reminding himself that it was only a dream. But his mind kept flashing back to that horrible, horrible Christmas. He tried not to think about it as he got up and gazed at the clock, 10:50. The morning rush for the presents was probably over by now. Mello sighed again and walked to his bathroom, stripping and getting into the shower as fast as he could. He needed to feel the warm water.

After his shower he felt a little better and walked to the kitchen to get some chocolate, he would get his presents after.

Trying to keep his mind of his presents, he walked to the kitchen, grabbed a chocolate bar, unwrapped it and began munching on it hungrily. The sweetness instantly made him calm down, and he walked to the common room with a light smile on his face.

He ignored Near in the corner of the room as he made his way to the massive tree. Searching the remaining boxes for ones with his name on them. To his surprise he had three. He sat on the floor under the tree and began unwrapping the first one, a small navy blue box. It was from Roger, the headmaster at Wammy' opened the card first.

_Merry Christmas, hope your time at Wammy's helps you make many pleasant memories._

_Roger._

Mello sneered a little as he opened up a brand new workbook along with a chocolate bar the exact same as the one he was eating now. Mello put these aside and moved to the next present. A black rectangular one. It was from L, and Mello grinned a massive grin. The last present he had gotten from L had turned out to be his favorite book of all time, he couldn't help but be excited for what it was this time. Slowly, he opened the card.

_Greetings Mello, I do hope you are having a pleasant Christmas, and I do assume you enjoyed the last present I gave you. Hopefully you will enjoy this one too._

_L_

Mello let his thumb run over the cursive handwritting. L's very own handwriting, he somehow felt famous, although he knew everyone else had gotten a present from him as well. Realizing this, he let his eyes drift over to Near. It was pretty obvious what L had given him; Near was busily putting together a puzzle, completely blank (as he was) with the exception of one black L in the top corner. Mello shrugged and turned to his own gift. He was surprised at what he found inside. It was a black, leather-covered book, a journal. At the top of the leather cover, engraved in silver, was his alias; Mello. Mello smiled at it and opened the fresh book to the first page. There was a short note from L.

_Mello, I hope you use this when you are feeling lost and have no one to talk to. Yes I know, it may not have the same effect, but perhaps it might do something._

_L_

Mello grinned and put the gift aside, on top of the workbook. He frowned, confused at his last gift, clad in white wrappings. He almost jumped at the sudden movement as Near got up to leave, giving him a short glance. Mello scowled and picked up the gift, unwrapping it carefully. Who could it be from? There was a blank card. Slowly, Mello opened it.

_Merry Christmas Mello. _

_Near_

Mello frowned a little as he turned to the gift. _Why would he give me anything?_ Inside was a bright red robot, the very one Mello had found Near with on the first day he saw him. Mello bit his lip and began winding it up, he then placed it on the floor and watched it walk around. He bowed his head, guilt overwhelming him once more.

"_Why are you doing this to me.. Near?"_ he whispered softly to himself, picking up the robot and tucking it under his arm as Near would do. That was it, he decided. This was the last time he would feel like this for Near's sake again. He _didn't care_, he reminded himself. All he wanted was to do better. He didn't _want_ to be his friend, he told himself. Mello didn't care what Near wanted. They were rivals and that was it. Mello picked up his gifts and walked back to his room, putting the robot in the safe spot he had found under one of the floorboards along with the journal. The workbook however, he placed on his desk, took out a pencil and began to work. He _would_ do better than Near.

...


	5. Chapter 5

**Uhg, I apologize in advance for the poorly written-ness of this chapter. It certainly isn't my best. But.. try to enjoy it anyway ^^;**

**Disclaimer: I do not own or claim Death Note or it's lovely characters but I do claim the chocolate bar that Mello eats throughout this chapter, as well as the pudding .3. **

**.....**

**Mello – Chapter 5**

**Fun**

.....

Throughout the next three months, Mello studied and studied, trying hopelessly to beat Near at least once, but he continued to fail. He would give classes his full attention, nothing could distract him, not even the older kids sneering and giggling at how he couldn't beat his rival could make him turn around, he'd just beat them up later, which he did. He earned countless detentions for it but he didn't care, it was just another place to concentrate on his homework. And it was quieter than the library even.

He grew to be the boy who everyone avoided in the orphanage, no one tried to be his real friend anymore, however he did have several kids he'd play soccer with, he never really considered them friends like Near had been once. He wandered alone, shared his room with no one, shared his knowledge or past with no one and continued fighting to beat his rival.

He ate and slept and showered and cleaned, but he did it like a zombie, with no real enthusiasm. He dreamt of his past and of L, looking down on him, disappointed. He dreamt of happy times, but often those quickly turned dark. The only thing he ate was chocolate, and yet he stayed deathly thin as if diseased. He wore black, only black, maybe it was to contrast against Near, maybe it was because he simply liked the color, he never knew. He often played sports, but only to feel a short second of triumph, which was only to be torn away moments later. He still didn't listen to teachers or counsellors at the orphanage and often refused to talk to them, unless in class, but the orphanage never kicked him out. He simply waited for the day when he would be let out of the place.

One day he finally decided on running away. It was a Thursday, a very nice day. The sun was out and shone brightly, no clouds. He had a small plan worked out, but it was easy to tell he hadn't put much effort into it. He was to sneak out the back during lunch, when everyone, or so he thought, would be occupied eating.

He waited out the morning as usual, going to his classes, trying his best to beat Near, failing as usual. When lunch came around, instead of going to the lunch room, where mostly everyone was headed, he snuck back to his room, grabbed his already-packed rucksack and made his way to the back entrance, quickly hiding whenever a passerby went past. He was rather proud of himself when he got there, the way was clear, and the door was right there. Quickly, he began to sprint towards it, but stopped directly in his tracks when he was interrupted-

"Where are you going?"

From the sound of it, it definitely wasn't someone much too older than himself, but someone around the same age for sure. But then again, everyone his age already knew not to speak with him if he was doing something, or not doing anything for that matter. Curious, he turned around, hand on his hip, face to face with a boy he certainly hadn't seen before today. The boy had a shock of red hair for starters. Anyone would be able to recognize him if they knew him. Covering his eyes, were a pair of orange goggles, that were so tinted you couldn't even see his eyes behind them. He was clad in a black and white stripped shirt, a little oversized, that made him look somewhat like a convict. He wore baggy jeans as well, obviously old, for they had tears in the knees.

"That's none of your business." Mello said, looking him up and down, "Who are you anyway?" he demanded, giving him a glare. The boy stared right back at him, not faltering at all under his hard gaze as everyone else did.

"I'm Matt," he said almost proudly, a toothy grin clear on his face. He gazed over Mello's shoulder,

"You seemed to be escaping," he said with a gesture to the door, "please do carry on,"

Mello sneered, what the hell was up with this kid. Stupid. Huffing stubbornly, he turned back towards the door to resume his escape. He was about to break into a run when he was interrupted again,

"Oh but, I'd be careful if I was you," the boy called out. Mello waited, but the boy didn't elaborate, so he turned around again.

"And why is that?" he asked, impatiently.

"Well cause there's a bunch of old people out there, standing right in front of this place. It's like.. guarded or something," he said boredly.

Mello mentally smacked himself. _Of course_. Who would think to leave a bunch L's successors (one of the most searched for men in the world) in an orphanage with no protection. He scowled and mentally scolded himself for forgetting such an important detail. Well, back to the drawing board, he thought and began marching back towards his room, walking past the redhead, not even giving him a glance as he did.

"H-hey! Where you going?" the boy, Matt called after him. Mello sighed and continued walking, but to his annoyance and slight surprise, the stranger ran right on after him.

"What's your name?" he asked. Mello sneered a little and didn't answer, instead he kept walking for his room, picking up his pace a little.

"Hey!" Matt called, picking up his pace as well, "What? Are you trying to be rid of me or something?" he demanded, walking straight in front of him and blocking his path. Mello tried to walk around him, but the boy easily bypassed him and wouldn't let him, he had a stronger build and was slightly taller than Mello, so it was rather difficult to try and get past.

"As a matter of fact. I am!" Mello said angrily, and turned the other way, taking a longer route instead. Matt followed him and walked by his side.

"Why would you wanna do that?" he asked with a grin. Mello growled.

"Because you're annoying me!" he said, walking a little more quickly. Matt tilted his head.

"All I did was ask you for your name..." he said innocently.

"It's Mello okay? Now go away," he said as harshly as he could. Matt continued to follow him.

"Mello.. I like that.. It's like.. Marshmellow..."he said with a giggle, "that's a funny name for a guy," he said, poking Mello in the head. That was enough. Mello jumped around and caught Matt's wrist in a tight grip, he stared the new kid straight in the eye.

"If you don't leave me alone, I swear I'll hurt you," he threatened. Matt just grinned and pulled his wrist away easily. He laughed when Mello continued to glare at him. Mello scowled. Why was he not afraid of him?! How come he didn't just go away?

"Is that a threat?" Matt asked, a tone of great amusement slipping off his tongue.

"Yes, and don't you think I won't fulfill it," he growled out. Matt simply rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall, considering they had both stopped walking. He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"So, you're gonna hurt me?" he asked, "okay," he said, seeming perfectly content with that outcome. Mello's eyebrows furrowed, his lips curving into a deep frown.

"What do you want from me?" he asked, disturbed. Matt looked up and stared straight at him, right through him almost, no one besides Near had ever done that before. Mello felt a sick feeling in his stomach when he thought of it, but he stared right back at the other boy refusing to falter his expression.

"Why, friendship of course," Matt said, a grin spreading over his lips once more. Mello scowled and rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"Well, find someone else, there's plenty of kids here," Matt's expression took one of disgust and he stuck out his tongue.

"But the rest of them are boring!" he whined, "there's no adventure to be had with them!" he said.

"And what makes you think there's adventure to be had with me?" Mello demanded, taking out a piece of chocolate absently and beginning to nibble on the edges.

"Well, that little escape scene for starters," he said with a smile, "and the fact that you're attempting to get rid of me, guys like that are always fun," he said. Mello frowned and seemed to ponder for a second.

"Well, I don't need any friends," he stated finally and began walking again towards his room. Matt simply followed him.

"Everyone needs a friend Mello," he said. Mello paused at the use of his name for a short second, the boy didn't seem to be mocking him at all. Frowning he turned around again.

"Why?" he asked. Matt blinked, obviously confused, and startled at the sudden stop Mello had made.

"What do you mean why?" he asked. Mello's eyes hardened.

"Why do I need a friend? I've been perfectly fine without one all this time!" he startled himself when his voice cracked and his hand went instantly to his throat, shocked with himself. Matt tilted his head a little and went a little closer to him, deciding it was better not to laugh at his voice cracking.

"Mello..." he paused, obviously thinking of something right to say, "Do you have fun all alone?" he asked. Mello bowed his head.

"Life isn't about having fun," he said sternly. Matt's eyebrows furrowed.

"Well of course it isn't, but it's a big part of it at least, I mean, life without fun... That's pretty pointless," he said trying to cheer this new kid up. Mello's expression didn't falter.

"Not if you have a goal," he said. Matt frowned, shaking his head in disagreement.

"But still! I mean, without fun.. without fun.. you're bored!" he said, trying desperately to prove his point. To his surprise, the blonde laughed. He had a nice laugh, it tinkled brightly despite his cold natural expression. Matt grinned, proud of himself.

"That's a good one... Matt," he said, his tone almost sarcastic. "But I still think I can do fine without it," he said and continued on to his room.

"You won't last long!" Matt called after him, his laughter echoing in the halls. Mello walked on, a tiny grin on his face. Weird kid, he thought.

By the time Mello reached his room, he had been so enveloped in thinking about the redhead's words that he had completely forgotten about a new escape plan, and beating Near. He had actually forgotten about Near! That had never happened before. Mello bit anxiously on his chocolate bar. A distraction from Near _would_ be nice. No, no distractions. If he had a distraction he wouldn't be able to beat him at all!

Mello bit his lip and fell onto his bed, running a hand through his blonde looks. He tried to imagine what it would be like, to have a fun, with a friend. Certainly this new kid would be more fun than Near could ever be. Mello thought hard, so hard in fact that he ended up falling asleep, and ended up missing the rest of the day's classes. He woke tiredly the next morning, a curse escaping his lips as he noted the date and time. There could have been crucial information in those classes!

Cursing fervently he pulled a clean black shirt over his head and dumped his old one in the garbage chute. It was 9 AM already. Frowning deeply, he made his way to the dinning hall and picked up a bowl of chocolate pudding, not even pausing to get excited over it. He made his way towards an empty table glumly and slowly began to eat.

"Hey!" a voice called. Mello ignored it, obviously it wasn't meant for him.

"Hey! Hey Mello!" the voice called again and Mello sighed deeply, recalling yesterday's events. The redhead plopped down into the seat next to him, setting a plate piled with food on the table. He took a huge bite.

"How was your afternoon?" he asked with a mouthful of food. Mello gave him a glare.

"Excruciating," he said, taking a small bite of pudding gracefully. His tone was the most dismissing tone he could manage but Matt simply sniggered.

"Okay," he said taking another massive bite of his food. Mello just rolled his eyes in disgust, he didn't make a move to go away from him, who knew? Maybe he'd grow to enjoy the company. For now, it wasn't damaging his plot anyway. He could deal with him for awhile.


End file.
